


The iPod

by YaBoiBellabean



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Baggage, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square, Post-Reveal Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Romance, adrienette - Freeform, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:09:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26246212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YaBoiBellabean/pseuds/YaBoiBellabean
Summary: After a no good, very bad week, Adrien watched Marinette's iPod tumble from her purse. He wanted to give it back to her, he really did. He didn'tintendon invading her privacy. He just wanted to know what kind of music she listened to. Really.But when he went to give it back—he knew that she knew that he knew what was on the iPod.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 29
Kudos: 177





	The iPod

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ladybuginette](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladybuginette/gifts).



Things were rough for Adrien Agreste.   
  
Less than a week before, he and Ladybug had defeated Papillon.    
  
Marinette had been akumatized by Papillon. That was difficult for Chat to deal with both physically _and_ emotionally, seeing as she transformed before his eyes into Dark Ladybug. Fighting his Lady was nothing that he’d ever in a million years thought that he’d have to do. So there was that. **Strike one, Agreste.**   
  
Then, they had to immediately charge in and defeat Papillion because, of course, he’d become aware of her secret identity. At first, Marinette protested, babbling about how she needed to give up her Miraculous and pass the torch to him. In response, because it sounded like a good idea at the time, he, himself, decided to detransform to make her feel better. That had apparently _not_ been the sort of comfort she’d needed. In fact, it was the _complete opposite_ of what she’d needed. She couldn’t even bring herself to speak to him afterward. **Strike two, Agreste.**   
  
And when they finally defeated Papillion and Mayura and collected Nooroo and Duusu, Chat Noir had to leave the room. _How_ had his father been responsible for terrorizing Paris for three whole years? And why the _hell_ did Nathalie help? Then, of course, there was the whole thing that he and Ladybug couldn’t just hand the two over to the Paris police force. No. Gabriel and Nathalie were both taken into custody by _Tibetan monks_ for rehabilitation. **Ball**.   
  
Of course, there was also this whole thing about his bodyguard actually being a sentimonster created by his mother. Oh. And his mother. The _real_ icing on the cake. His mother, Emilie Agreste, had been encased in glass, kept in suspended animation. He’d been in complete and utter disbelief. **Strike three, Agreste. _Out_.**   
  
Needless to say, his whole entire week was complete crap. An actual dumpster fire, in fact. Marinette _still_ couldn’t even bring herself to look at him, let alone talk to him. At least she didn’t ask for his Miraculous back. While both he and Plagg were grateful, Adrien couldn’t help but wonder if it was out of pity, seeing as his father had turned out to be Papillon and all.    
  
Ladybug and the monks healed his mother. So at least he had that going for him.   
  
Books in hand, Adrien practically stomped up the stairs to Lycée Françoise Dupont. He nodded at Nino without saying a word and made his way to his classroom. He set his things down on the table and took his seat in silence.    
  
Would Marinette walk in late again? Not that it mattered. She didn’t seem to want anything to do with him. Anytime he’d tried to talk with her, she would awkwardly smile, abruptly turn around, and walk hurriedly in the other direction. Whenever he’d wave at her as she came into the classroom, she would avert her gaze to the ground and take her seat next to Alya across the room.    
  
More than anything, Adrien wanted his life to go back to something resembling normal. Whatever that meant, or even _could_ mean at this point. He felt so very homesick, but no longer knew _where_ his home was. His father and Nathalie were ' _missing'_. His mother was...alive? His bodyguard _literally_ disappeared off of the face of the planet. And his best friend—the love of his life—couldn’t even so much as look him in the eye.   
  
As Marinette walked into the classroom, he looked up and waved, feigning a smile. But apparently her avoiding him entirely was the new normal. Dejected, he opened his notebook and began absentmindedly doodling ladybugs around the border of the paper. He gave Marinette one last sidelong glance before redirecting his attention to the teacher as she began class.   
  
Adrien’s head was cloudy, his thoughts foggy; paying attention was not something that was going to happen. His brain was having none of it. Everything that Miss Bisset was saying went in one ear and out the other. He hoped he’d be able to focus in the evening, away from distractions. Away from Marinette. 

  
After everything that he’d gone through over the last week, he _needed_ her like a nomad needed an oasis in a desert. But apparently she didn’t need him. And it hit him like a hateful sandstorm, stinging his face with no shelter in sight. _It hurt_. Up until the previous week, she’d been his rock through thick and thin, both as Marinette and Ladybug. He needed to know why. He _deserved_ to know why his partner, his best friend, his Lady—why she wouldn’t look him in the eye. Why she avoided him. Why?   
  
Was it because she was disappointed to know who he really was? Was it because he’d revealed himself to her? Was it because he’d found out who she was? _Was it because his father had been Papillon the whole time and he didn’t know?_   
  
Before he knew it, the class bell rang and he rose to his feet. He needed to talk to Marinette. He made his way across the classroom. He desperately needed _something_. Some words. A smile. A wave. _Anything_. He needed to know that she still cared, even just a little.   
  
Adrien was walking through the darkness and trying his best to feel his way as he went.   
  
Their eyes met briefly just before she hopped up and quickly scurried toward the exit. They were the last two in the room; everyone else had already filed out. “M-Marinette! Wait!”    
  
She paused. He watched her shoulders slowly rise and fall as she drew in a deep breath and slowly exhaled. And then, without so much as looking over her shoulder, she exited the room.   
  
His eyes followed a small, rectangular object as it fell from her purse to the floor. Adrien wanted to say something but the words wouldn’t come; they were caught in his throat. How could he bring himself to say anything to her when she so clearly didn’t want to speak with him?    
  
Silently, he picked up the iPod from the floor and let out a sigh. Maybe he could give it to Nino or Alya to return to Marinette. Along with his books, he carefully tucked it away into his messenger bag and exited the classroom.    
  
He couldn’t stay at school, he decided as he descended the stairway from the second floor. Not only was he unable to focus on his classes, but he also couldn’t bear to be in the same room as _his Lady, his Buginette, his Marinette._   
  
No. Not his Lady. Not his Buginette. And certainly not his Marinette. She wasn’t his. Even though he was hers.   
  
*~*~*   
  
He just couldn’t get comfortable. No matter which position he laid in—on his back, on his side, on his stomach with one knee bent, any position with one leg outside of the blanket—he couldn’t fall asleep. Plagg tried to sing him a lullaby and that didn’t go well, so then he tried to regale Adrien with a story about a prince and his kingdom of camembert. That also didn’t go very well.    
  
Much to Adrien’s delight, Plagg had finally fallen asleep. No more stories. No more songs. No more talking.   
  
As quietly as he could, Adrien moved from his bed to his computer chair. If he couldn’t sleep, he thought, he might as well try to be productive. He could stay up late. It wasn’t like he was planning on going to school the next day anyway.   
  
He needed a day off away from his life, away from people, and away from Marinette.   
  
Marinette.    
  
Her iPod. It was in his bag. He needed to get that back to her. Maybe he could wake Plagg up and leave it on her balcony? No.That was a terrible idea. If she didn’t want to see him, he didn’t need to be invading her privacy.   
  
Fishing the music device out of his bag, he wondered just _why_ Marinette still had an iPod. Most people used their phones to listen to music. As he flipped it around, his heart sank. The iPod had **'Je t'aime’** engraved across the back. Who had given it to her?   
  
Was it Luka? Were they getting back together? He made music. Maybe he’d made something special for her ears only? He must’ve given it to her, completely loaded with songs he’d written just for her. She _had_ told him countless times that there was someone else that she loved.   
  
Before he realized what he was doing, the glow of the iPod’s screen illuminated the room.    
  
Clearing his throat, he looked around—not that Plagg would _care_ if Adrien was _curious_ about the _kind of music Marinette listened to_ —and stared down at her lockscreen.    
  
It was about the music. It wasn’t about the fact that this iPod was probably from Luka and full of his music. He was simply curious about the sort of music Marinette listened to.   
  
Hopefully it didn’t need a passcode. To listen to her music—definitely not to invade her privacy or anything. He swiped the pad of his thumb across the screen. No passcode.   
  
The background picture wasn’t Luka. It was a very cute hamster. But that definitely didn’t mean anything. With bated breath, he opened the photo app. Adrien blinked. There were precisely two photos on the device, the first one being the cute hamster. The second one though, it was a selfie of Marinette holding up a peace sign and wearing black cat ears and a black hoodie. She looked adorable.   
  
Was he allowed to think that?    
  
Of course, he reasoned with himself. A thought was just that—a thought. For example, he told himself, the _thought_ of saving the photo to his computer was just a _thought_. It’d be very creepy if he _actually did it_. Which he wouldn’t. Because it’d be weird. She didn’t want to talk to him, so why would he even _think_ about doing something like that? Thoughts. Were. Thoughts. People were allowed to have thoughts.   
  
Backing out of the photo app, he tapped the music app. The first song on the list wasn’t from Luka Couffaine. It was a Jagged Stone song. He felt relieved and decided to dig a little further. A deep crease formed between his eyebrows when he selected **’Playlists’**.    
  
_ Songs that Make Me Think of You _   
  
He knew it. _He knew it._ Why did he have to look at the stupid playlist? He _knew_ it was a bad idea to look at this. _Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answer to, Agreste_.   
  
Part of him wanted to chuck the stupid little device out his window and pretend it never existed. Another part of him wanted to slam it against a wall and then burn the damned thing.    
  
But most of him wanted to do something to make himself feel worse. His whole world had been shaken up. Why not flip it upside down too? In fact, he’d gladly invite it. Because everything else in his life had gone to hell in a handbasket, why not make it worse? It was absolutely the cathartic experience he needed.   
  
Adrien felt tears stinging the corners of his eyes as he backed out of the music app. He stared at the screen for a moment, hands shaking. He took a breath and tapped the notes app.    
  
Tears began to spill down his cheeks as a million and two emotions coursed through every fiber of his being.   
  
_Dear Adrien,_ _  
  
I was so shocked to find out that you, **Adrien Agreste** , are Chat Noir. I honestly didn’t know how to respond and truthfully, I am still processing it a little bit.   
  
Admittedly, I am terrified that you’re disappointed in knowing that Ladybug, a superhero that is so courageous and coordinated, is actually me. Clumsy Marinette. Stuttering Marinette. I don’t really know how to talk to you yet, not since we, you know. Helped Paris. I’m trying so hard to build up the courage to talk to you, I promise. I am so afraid that you are going to reject me and my feelings, like before. You know? Now that you know that I’m me. Plain ol’ Marinette.   
  
You see, Adrien, I have to confess something. I mean, I guess you might have an idea now that you’ve seen this. But. I love you. And I’ve loved you for such a long time. I never had the courage to tell you how I felt because I was so very scared of how you’d react. You’d told me time and time again that there was somebody else and I told you, Chat Noir, that there was someone else that I loved.    
  
Funny how that works.   
  
So now that the cat’s out of the bag (haha), I am working on building up the courage to talk to you. Because I am so overwhelmed. And afraid. And scared. And terrified.   
  
I hope this iPod and everything in it conveys everything I am unable to express with, you know, real words. Face-to-face.   
  
Je t'aime, Adrien Agreste. My Chatton.   
  
Yours if You’ll Have Me,   
Your Buginette  _   
  
She loved him. She was _scared_ he’d reject her? Kind, caring, strong, sweet, supportive, adorable, beautiful, wonderful Marinette Dupain-Cheng?    
  
Ladybug couldn’t have been a more perfect person.   
  
*~*~*   
  
Adrien couldn’t think of a time he’d ever been more nervous in his entire life. He had to anonymously give the iPod back to Marinette. Because he couldn’t _tell_ her that he had turned it on. And he certainly couldn’t tell her that he knew it was a gift for him, because then she’d know he’d violated her privacy. He couldn’t look her in the eye and not say something. And he couldn’t trust anyone to not accidentally slip and say he’d been the person to find the iPod.   
  
So before anyone else had arrived, Adrien found himself in the classroom. After being too restless to be able to sleep, it was a wonder that he’d made it to school so early. As quickly as he could, he placed the iPod on her assigned table and exited the classroom. Hopefully he went unnoticed. Fingers crossed.   
  
Although Adrien wasn’t particularly gifted in the arts and crafts department, nobody could say that he didn’t try. After he completed _Phase One: Slip the iPod onto the Table Without Being Noticed_ , he stealthily executed _Phase Two: Stuff Poorly Handmade Card into the Locker Without Being Noticed_. _Phase Three? Wait in Bathroom Until Others Arrive_.   
  
The suspense was going to kill him. He couldn’t wait to see Marinette’s face when she saw his card! When she saw his card. And the iPod. Same. Morning. Oh god. The same morning! Agreste. _Why didn’t you think this through?_   
  
He had been _too tired_ and _too overwhelmed_ to properly think things through and of course he hadn’t bothered Plagg; Plagg needed his beauty sleep. He shouldn’t have stayed up half of the night trying to make the perfect card to express his love and his devotion to her. And oh _NO_. He had to get the card back. Why in the _hell_ did he write that she didn’t need to worry about him rejecting her—that she was the perfect Ladybug?    
  
His entire plan was completely futile. Unless. Unless he could retrieve the things. He could do that. He could go get them. That was doable.   
  
Panicked, Adrien bolted out of the bathroom, only to find Marinette already at her locker, getting ready to open it. It was too late. His eyes followed the card falling to the ground. He watched in horror as she picked up the card and opened the envelope.    
  
Marinette stared at the card, disbelief written all over her face. She wasn’t smiling. Oh god. Oh no. No, no, _nonono_. Her sapphire eyes met his. And abruptly, he turned around, ready to bolt. Adrien wasn’t ready for this. He couldn’t face her. He knew that she knew that he knew what was on that iPod. He had to go. He needed to escape. No. No he didn’t. He just needed to get through class, right? Then he could go home and smother himself with a pillow. Everything else had gone wrong, so why not this too?   
  
As Adrien felt a warm hand gently rest on his shoulder, every muscle in his body tightened and his fight or flight completely kicked in and all he wanted to do was run and hide and pretend that none of this had ever happened. He wanted to run to Tibet and beg anyone—no everyone at the Temple of the Guardians to wipe his memory. He didn’t want to be Chat Noir anymore. He didn’t want to remember _anything_. All of his instincts told him to run.   
  
But he couldn’t.    
  
“Adrien?”   
  
Though unsure, her voice was soft, kind, gentle. Everything Adrien craved. Everything he needed. Nothing he deserved. He shouldn’t have violated her privacy. “Curiosity killed the cat?” he stated—asked—something.   
  
The smallest and most nervous of giggles erupted from behind him and every single muscle in his body instantly relaxed. He needed to turn around. He needed to face her. He needed to look into her magnificent eyes, the ones that had always told him that everything was going to be alright. In that moment, there was nothing that he needed more in the entire world. He needed to know that everything was going to be alright. Because nothing felt alright.   
  
Eyes squeezed shut, he slowly turned around. Adrien swallowed what was quite possibly the largest frog that had ever been in his throat and drew in a deep breath. What could he say? He knew that she knew that he knew what was on that iPod.    
  
“So you found it, did you?”   
  
He nodded. Adrien wasn’t ready to open his eyes yet.   
  
“I’m so glad.”   
  
Adrien’s eyes fluttered open, confusion written across his face. “W-wait. What…?”   
  
“I hoped you would. Find it, that is. I, uh—” Marinette tentatively smiled. “I didn’t know how to tell you. So, uh. I dropped it. For you. For you to find. When it was just us.”   
  
A silly smile spread across his face. In an instant, just like that, the weight of the world was lifted off of his shoulders. She wasn’t upset. She wasn’t angry. She wasn’t disappointed. She was _happy_. “Your crazy plans always seem to work, don’t they?”   
  
*~*~*   
  
“Good evening, Buginette.”

“Good evening, Chatton. Thank you for coming.” Ladybug repositioned herself so that her legs dangled over the edge of the rooftop and patted the concrete beside her.    
  
“Of course,” Chat replied and mimicked her, throwing his legs over the side of the rooftop. “I’m glad you invited me. It’s,” he paused. “It’s been lonely.”   
  
“I know.” She timidly brushed her pinky against his and gazed up to the moon over the horizon.   
  
“It hasn’t been fun,” Chat Noir admitted, curling his pinky around hers. “I thought you hated me.”   
  
“And I thought you were disappointed to see that Ladybug was just me, just plain Marinette. I’m so sorry for letting you feel so alone. I shouldn’t have been so selfish. I should’ve—”   
  
He pulled her into a strong embrace and held her tightly, cradling the back of her head with his hand. He took in her cinnamon-vanilla scent and pressed his lips to the top of her head. “Shh, my Buginette. All that matters is the here and the now. We can’t dwell on the should haves, would haves, could haves, or the what might have beens.”   
  
“We have to keep moving forward,” she said into his chest.   
  
“And do the next right thing,” he finished, releasing her from his arms.    
  
Ladybug tilted her chin up to him, her big bluebell eyes melding with his dazzling emeralds. He cupped her cheek and she leaned into it, placing her hand over his and gently closing her eyes. A light blush kissed her freckle-dusted cheeks and a small smile waltzed across her lips.    
  
After a few moments, Chat Noir rose to his feet and offered her his hand. Demurely, she placed hers into his. He pulled her close, one hand rested on the small of her back, and the other at his shoulder, intertwined with hers.    
  
S _tep, step, slide. Step, step, slide._   
  
“Plagg, detransform me,” Chat Noir whispered.    
  
_Step, step, slide. Step, step, slide._   
  
“Tikki, detransform me,” Ladybug whispered.    
  
_Step, step, slide. Step, step, slide._   
  
Time stood still under the moonlight, under the starry sky.    
  
_Step, step, slide. Step, step, slide._   
  
There was no music.    
  
_Step, step, slide. Step, step, slide._   
  
There was only Adrien and Marinette.    
  
_Step, step, slide. Step, step, slide._   
  
And that’s all that mattered.

**Author's Note:**

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> 
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